Michael Van Gerwen clinches his second US Darts Master title in New York in front of rowdy fans 

Michael van Gerwen put on a clinic to brush aside North American Champion Jeff Smith, 8-0, to clinch his second bet365 US Darts Masters title in front of a raucous crowd in New York City. 

The Dutchman came up with several ruthless displays on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to take home the $24,900 (£20k) prize money. He was awarded a record-extending 18th World Series of Darts title in the process.

The 34-year-old’s win in America comes off the bat of a record seventh Premier League title in late May. Van Gerwen started off defending his crown in the Big Apple with a 6-2 win over Canadian newcomer Jake MacMillan. 

He then defeated Jim Long, who caused an upset by beating world champion and No. 1 Michael Smith on the Masters’ opening night on Thursday, by the same scoreline in Saturday’s opener. 

Van Gerwen then stormed back from 6-4 down to overcome Rob Cross in a tense semi-final, registering 170 and 122 finishes. He capped off his ruthless tournament run with a 167 finish in the final, obliterating Smith 8-0 to add another title to his already-impressive resume. 

Michael van Gerwen celebrates after defeating Jeff Smith at the US Dart Masters in New York

Fans watch players compete during the tournament’s quarter finals at Madison Square Garden

Many fans showed up at the Hulu Theater in bizarre outfits, including as horses and jockeys

Van Gerwen (R) poses with runner-up Jeff Smith (L) during the bet365 U.S. Dart Masters final

Smith also ended up with a success story of his own on Saturday afternoon, winning his second North American Darts Championship in his career. 

The Canadian – who defeated World No. 2 Peter Wright on Friday night – put on an inspirational performance to claim victory over 2019 champion Nathan Aspinall prior to taking on Luke Humphries, who he beat 7-6 with a 167 finish. 

Fans went wild upon finding out that the 47-year-old would play Van Gerwen in the final. Some were even dressed in bizarre costumes, wearing horse and jockey outfits. 

Others were spotted in the crowd wearing a nun’s habit and rock star attires from the 1970s. A fan in particular was seen sporting hunting clothing, as he was covered with bright orange leaves while watching on his favorite players. 

Other fans wore costumes of Mountain Dew cans and shirts with rubber duckies on them. Some Harry Potter fanatics were also spotted while several supporters also kept the tradition of wearing traffic cone hats going, as seen in Thursday’s opening rounds.

A fan wore a costume of a Mountain Dew can during the quarter-finals round of the Masters

Two fans were spotted in the crowd wearing a nun’s habit and rock star attires from the 1970s

Harry Potter fanatics were also spotted at World Series of darts event on Saturday evening  

A group of five fans wearing matching rubber ducky shirts and hats gathered around a table 

A fan in particular was sporting hunting clothing, as he was covered in bright orange leaves

‘It means a lot to me to win this trophy,’ said Van Gerwen after appearing in his 50th World Series of Darts event. ‘It was our second year here at Madison Square Garden and I have never won a title at such an iconic venue like this, so it’s another one off the bucket list!

‘I had three big wins, but the game against Rob Cross was a bit weird. You need to try to to keep your focus. It’s not easy but I managed to do it…’

‘[…] Jeff ran out of steam in the final. He had a really tough day and that’s part of darts unfortunately, but I took advantage. I am glad I won. I am a proud man.’ 

The World Series of Darts continues next month with the inaugural Poland Darts Masters at COS Torwar in Warsaw on July 7-8.